Face a Face

The grandmaster of improvised bass and the electronics-playing son of Hungary's great contemporary composer share a deep commitment to making new music in the moment, informed by their different lives and experiences. With his subtle use of synthesizers and digital percussion, György Kurtág Jr shapes shifting spaces for Barre Phillips to negotiate, an acoustic labyrinth illuminated in detail in Manfred Eicher's crystalline mix. Recorded at Studios La Buissonne in the South of France, Face à Face is a consistently fascinating album.